Caveat Emptor - Let The Renter Beware

In my experience at all times, staff and management at CSI are unreliable and unprofessional in dealing with tenant queries and challenges. They blame the owner for withholding maintenance and repairs and take no responsibility for poor service delivery and have blanket deniability in response to promises made by their staff to tenants. Promises made were never kept. Jacuzzi room was a feature when advertised. It never worked and the agents spun a story about what they had offered vs what we had claimed. The renter eventually repurposed the room but will be removing all additions made. The roof has several large leaks. In summer the rainwater just streams into the roof. It was requested to be repaired but due to “financial constraints” of the owner was never repaired. Damp is also evident due to water ingress and rotten wood members of the roof have arisen from moisture in the roof structure. The alarm system is faulty. Initially, it took several months to have the alarm set up to work. The system only works for the house and not the flat. It was reported a few months ago that it was not working again but after an initial call by a ‘contractor’ who never showed up has still not been around to repair the system. Only one remote is made available for the house for both gates and the alarm and alarm beams. The other for the gates and beams is for the flat. The “staff quarters” are unfit for human habitation, have no shower, bath, or basin and the toilet is not functional. The door is unserviceable and there is massive damp and mold throughout. The TV cable was installed by the current renter and will be removed. At the kitchen and bathroom outflow, it all goes into one gulley which blocks up regularly due to the congestion of matter arising from these facilities. Billing is a major problem and is still a challenge almost a year after we moved in. The main electricity meter servicing the house and flat is inside the house and the tenant must manage this by arrangements with CSI. Over and above this the electricity for the house is via a Citique Meter at higher than municipal electricity tariffs which was not the original arrangement. The water meter is the main incoming water supply, the flat has a separate Citique water meter for the incoming water to the flat HOWEVER there is no system for allocating the water usage in line with the municipal billing and sewage fees and this and refuse is arbitrarily charge to the house tenant by CSI without due consideration of the operational costs. Numerous windows cannot close due to metal corrosion and distortion. Doors do not function properly and jam intermittently due to the locking mechanisms and door jam structures. Several cracked and broken window and glass door panes have never been repaired. The electrical system has shown itself to be outside of the national standards. On one occasion my wife was almost electrocuted when taking a bath. The wiring at the geyser shorted out due to overheating and a current was then sent down the plumbing into the bath. She experienced a shock but managed to get out without major injury. Parking inside on the driveway is not suitable for more than two vehicles including the flat tenants. Any additional vehicles must be moved to allow for access and egress or parking in the front yard on the grass is the next best option. Theft of ******* bins is rife and the collection of refuse is erratic at best. Several instances of rodent incursion have occurred and it was advised to us by the flat renter that rodent infestation in their ceiling is evident. Over the period of less than a year cracks in the superstructure are highly evident and show deterioration and damp incursion that weakens the walls. There may be lots of promises and reassurances and bad-mouthing of the previous tenants. However, the truth is if you rent from these guys you will live to regret it.